ETHAN, S.D. — For Austin Miller, a vintage tractor collection is more than machinery under a roof. It is family history, a hands-on challenge and a link to farming before electronics became standard.
Miller, 31, of Ethan, keeps about a dozen classic tractors in sheds and Quonset buildings. Most are in working order, and many tie back to relatives, neighbors or notable chapters in agriculture. His interest started with a long-parked relic in a family barn.
Vintage tractor collection began with a 1936 Farmall F20
In fall 2008, when Miller was a 14-year-old freshman, his uncles and cousin told him about his great-grandfather’s 1936 Farmall F20 that had sat idle since the mid-1970s after a radiator failure. He pressed his grandfather through the winter and, in April 2009, got a challenge. If he could bring the F20 back to life, he could keep it. Miller pulled it out of the shed that June.
Without formal training, he learned as he went. He found the original owner’s manual among his grandfather’s papers, watched instructional videos, read online forums and leaned on his uncles and cousin for practical help. Together they replaced the radiator, flushed fluids, serviced the magneto and added new rear tires. On Aug. 1, 2009, the engine ran again.
The tractor, bought new in 1936 to replace work horses, sparked Miller’s interest in preserving older equipment and the stories attached to it. “I’m an old soul,” he said, adding that he often jokes he was born decades too late.
Family ties and rare finds expand the lineup
Miller tracked down other family machines, including his grandfather’s 1952 Ferguson T30 and his great-uncle Cecil’s Farmall H. For his 19th birthday, his father surprised him with a 1953 Farmall Super M won at an auction near Mount Vernon. In 2013, Miller bought a Farmall M Diesel from a retiring neighbor. A notable bargain was a 1936 John Deere A, saved from a scrap dealer by a friend and purchased for $200. He wanted an unstyled 1936 model to mirror the year of his great-grandfather’s F20.
Today his lineup spans multiple brands. It includes the 1936 Farmall F20, several Farmall H and M models, a 1952 Ferguson T30, a Massey, an Allis-Chalmers and three John Deeres, including a 1936 Model A, a 3010 and a 4020. Although he appreciates all makes, International Harvester holds special meaning. He grew up on a John Deere farm, but the red Farmalls tie him to earlier family history, and the 1936 F20 remains his favorite because it started the journey.
Showing how the machines worked, not just how they look
Miller does not treat the tractors as static displays. He regularly takes them to shows, including the annual Twin Rivers Old Iron Association show in Delmont, where he has been active since 2009. He serves on the board and leads the demonstration committee.
At his first Twin Rivers show in 2009, he used the F20’s belt pulley to power a threshing machine. He now helps coordinate demonstrations such as belt-driven corn shellers and threshing equipment. The hands-on setups let visitors see the equipment working, he said, rather than viewing it solely as showpieces.
Through the association, Miller connected with older collectors who shared knowledge about pre-computer-era machines. Many became like grandfather figures, he said, offering mechanical tips and stories. He also encourages younger audiences to engage with that history. The association invites high school FFA chapters to see how crops were harvested before modern combines.
Farming five acres the 1950s way
Miller also raises corn on a five-acre plot using midcentury equipment. A mounted corn picker removes ears from the stalks without shelling. He runs the ears through a family corn sheller and grinds cobs in a hammer feed mill for chicken bedding. The pace is slower than modern methods, which is part of the appeal. He prefers equipment where levers and linkages can be traced from hand to mechanism. He jokes that modern electronics move “angry pixies” through wires, while the old machines make their workings visible.
Keeping antiques running requires improvisation. Parts for 70 to 90-year-old tractors can be scarce. He uses donor tractors for hard-to-find components and sends specialized items, including magnetos, to rebuilders. He has also accumulated original service manuals, parts books and literature. Originals are stored inside the house, while reprints go in the shop. He keeps the tractors indoors to protect metal and rubber, noting new rear tires can run around $1,000. He also prefers the farmstead to look tidy rather than like a yard of rusting equipment.
Beyond tractors: an International Scout joins the fleet
His interest in International Harvester broadened the collection. In fall 2023, he and his great-uncle Jay Larson traded projects around a Case SC with a damaged engine. Miller sourced a replacement engine and completed the swap, and in return received a 1973 International Scout II. He registered and insured the blue Scout and now drives it around town and to events in Mitchell. His wife owns a 1979 brown International Scout, a shared passion that became part of family life. He proposed to her in June 2024 at Donnie Days with his blue Scout nearby.
For Miller, the draw is problem-solving. He enjoys diagnosing issues, disassembling components and putting them right again. Growing up with building toys made tractors feel like bigger versions of familiar projects, he said.
Personality, cost and a connection across generations
Each tractor develops a personality. His F20 has a reputation as a stubborn veteran. Maintaining the collection is not cheap, he acknowledged, and he does not expect to recoup his investment. He offsets that with a practical view. The tractors do not cost anything when parked, he said.
Miller is the fourth generation on his family’s farm in the Ethan-Mitchell area. Preserving and operating old tractors keeps him connected to earlier generations while showing others what farming once looked like. He credits his great-uncle Jay with a guiding thought: “How are we supposed to get to the future if we don’t know where we came from?”
The association invites high school FFA chapters to see how crops were harvested before modern combines, a contrast to the evolution of machinery described in origin of combine: How harvest tech reshaped farming.
He regularly takes them to shows, including the annual Twin Rivers Old Iron Association show in Delmont, where he has been active since 2009.
His wife owns a 1979 brown International Scout, a shared passion that became part of family life, much like other enthusiasts who restore International Harvester vehicles and equipment.